Susan J. Tewalt

Origin and significance of high nickel and chromium concentrations in Pliocene lignite of the Kosovo Basin, Serbia

Abstract Trace element data from 59 Pliocene lignite cores from the lignite field in the Kosovo Basin, southern Serbia, show localized enrichment of Ni and Cr (33–304 ppm and 8–176 ppm, respectively, whole-coal basis). Concentrations of both elements decrease from the western and southern boundaries of the lignite field. Low-temperature ash and polished coal pellets of selected bench and whole-coal samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. These analyses show that most of the Ni and Cr are incorporated in detrital and, to a lesser degree, in authigenic minerals. The Ni- and Cr-bearing detrital minerals include oxides, chromites, serpentine-group minerals and rare mixed-layer clays. Possible authigenic minerals include NiFe sulfates and sulfides. Analyses of three lignite samples by a supercritical fluid extraction technique indicate that some (1–11%) of the Ni is organically bound. Ni- and Cr-bearing oxides, mixed-layer clays, chromites and serpentine-group minerals were also identified in weathered and fresh samples of laterite developed on serpentinized Paleozoic peridotite at the nearby Glavica and Cikatovo Ni mines. These mines are located along the western and northwestern rim, respectively, of the Kosovo Basin, where Ni contents are highest. The detrital Ni- and Cr-bearing minerals identified in lignite samples from the western part of the Kosovo Basin may have been transported into the paleoswamp by rivers that drained the two Paleocene laterites. Some Ni may have been transported directly into the paleoswamp in solution or, alternatively, Ni may have been leached from detrital minerals by acidic peat water and adsorbed onto organic matter and included into authigenic mineral phases. No minable source of Ni and Cr is known in the southern part of the lignite field; however, the mineral and chemical data from the lignite and associated rocks suggest that such a source area may exist.

A digital resource model of the Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed, Monongahela Group, northern Appalachian basin coal region, USA

Abstract The U.S. Geological Survey is currently conducting a coal resource assessment of the coal beds and zones that are expected to provide the bulk of the Nations coal resources for the next few decades. The Pittsburgh coal bed is the first bed in the northern and central Appalachian basin coal region to undergo a fully-digital assessment. The bed-specific assessment is being carried out in partnership with the state geologic surveys of West Virginia (WV), Pennsylvania (PA), Ohio (OH), and Maryland (MD). Comprehensive stratigraphic and geochemical databases have been developed for the Pittsburgh coal bed, and areal extent, mined areas, structure contour, isopach, overburden thickness maps of the bed have been released as United States Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File Reports. The resulting resource model indicates that of the original 34 billion short tons (31 billion tonnes) of Pittsburgh coal, 16 billion short tons (14 billion tonnes) remain. Although most of the remaining coal is thinner, deeper, and higher in ash and sulfur (S) than the original resource, there are blocks of extensive thick (6–8 ft or 1.8–2.4 m) coal in southwestern PA and the northern panhandle of WV.

A geostatistical approach to predicting sulfur content in the Pittsburgh coal bed

Abstract The US Geological Survey (USGS) is completing a national assessment of coal resources in the five top coal-producing regions in the US. Point-located data provide measurements on coal thickness and sulfur content. The sample data and their geologic interpretation represent the most regionally complete and up-to-date assessment of what is known about top-producing US coal beds. The sample data are analyzed using a combination of geologic and Geographic Information System (GIS) models to estimate tonnages and qualities of the coal beds. Traditionally, GIS practitioners use contouring to represent geographical patterns of “similar” data values. The tonnage and grade of coal resources are then assessed by using the contour lines as references for interpolation. An assessment taken to this point is only indicative of resource quantity and quality. Data users may benefit from a statistical approach that would allow them to better understand the uncertainty and limitations of the sample data. To develop a quantitative approach, geostatistics were applied to the data on coal sulfur content from samples taken in the Pittsburgh coal bed (located in the eastern US, in the southwestern part of the state of Pennsylvania, and in adjoining areas in the states of Ohio and West Virginia). Geostatistical methods that account for regional and local trends were applied to blocks 2.7 mi (4.3 km) on a side. The data and geostatistics support conclusions concerning the average sulfur content and its degree of reliability at regional- and economic-block scale over the large, contiguous part of the Pittsburgh outcrop, but not to a mine scale. To validate the method, a comparison was made with the sulfur contents in sample data taken from 53 coal mines located in the study area. The comparison showed a high degree of similarity between the sulfur content in the mine samples and the sulfur content represented by the geostatistically derived contours.

The upper pennsylvanian pittsburgh coal bed: Resources and mine models

The U.S. Geological Survey recently completed a digital coal resource assessment model of the Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed, which indicates that after subtracting mined-out coal, 16 billion short tons (14 billion tonnes) remain of the original 34 billion short tons (31 billion tonnes) of coal. When technical, environmental, and social restrictions are applied to the remaining Pittsburgh coal model, only 12 billion short tons (11 billion tonnes) are available for mining. Our assessment models estimate that up to 0.61 billion short tons (0.55 billion tonnes), 2.7 billion short tons (2.4 billion tonnes), and 8.5 billion short tons (7.7 billion tonnes) could be available for surface mining, continuous mining, and longwall mining, respectively. This analysis is an example of a second-generation regional coal availability study designed to model recoverability characteristics for all the major coal beds in the United States.

Moving Away from Distance Classifications as Measures of Resource Uncertainty

Distance classifications of portions of a deposit, such as cells, are prepared based solely on Euclidean distances from cell centers to the closest control point(s). Although they have been widely used because of its simplicity, it has been demonstrated that distance alone is a poor proxy for uncertainty. We propose superseding these classifications by two probability distributions, which can be displayed as: (a) each cell’s 90 % confidence interval versus cumulative cell tonnage, and (b) a histogram of total resources. The first graph offers the capability of dividing resources into any number of bins, with dividers to be decided by the assessor based now on a statistics that, differently from Euclidean distance, is universally accepted as a measure of uncertainty. More importantly, the second graph eliminates the primary shortcoming of traditional resource classifications by providing a measure of uncertainty for total resource tonnage, an answer that distance classifications cannot provide.

Coal resources of selected coal beds and zones in the northern and central Appalachian Basin

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is completing a National Coal Resource Assessment of five coal-producing regions of the United States, including the Appalachian Basin. The USGS, in cooperation with the State geological surveys of Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, has completed a digital coal resource assessment of five of the top-producing coal beds and coal zones in the northern and central Appalachian Basin coal regions -- the Pittsburgh coal bed, the Upper Freeport coal bed, the Fire Clay and Pond Creek coal zones, and the Pocahontas No. 3 coal bed. Of the 93 billion short tons of original coal in these units, about 66 billion short tons remain. 2 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.